Assembly constituency in Ganjam district: 'Pink booths'

Berhampur: Wednesday, Ganjam district will have at least one booth in each Assembly constituency that will be managed only by women during the ensuing elections, officials said. Considered “politically sensitive”, Ganjam district is home to 13 Assembly constituencies and 3,063 booths – the highest among the state’s 30 districts.From presiding officer to first polling officials, only women will be deployed in these booths.

The all-women booths would be called ‘pink booths’, an official said.“We are planning to set up at least one pink booth in every Assembly constituency in the forthcoming elections in the district next month,” said the district Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange.The proposed pink booths will be set up only in the urban areas with foolproof security for the convenience of the transportation of the women poll staff, said Additional District Magistrate, Revenue, Laxmikant Sethi.

The booths to be designated as ‘pink’ are yet to be fixed, while the process of finalisation of the staff is underway, he said. The pink booths will have six polling personnel, including a presiding officer. For 13 pink booths, 78 women workers would be engaged, he said.Besides, the district administration is planning to have a good number of women on standby in case staff from the official list fails to turn up on the election day. Besides pink booths, Sethi said, plans are afoot for setting up model booths in each Assembly segment.The model booths would have the requisite facilities like drinking water and fans outside the polling stations. They would also be decorated to attract the voters, he added. The finer details of model booths are yet to be finalised, the ADM added.Meanwhile, the Gajapati district administration has also planned to set up at least two ‘pink booths’ in Paralakhemundi Assembly segment. “We are also planning to make the pink booths as model booths,” said Gajapati Collector Anupam Saha.Gajapati district has two Assembly segments – Paralakhemundi and Mohana – under Berhampur Lok Sabha segment. The pink-cum-model booths are proposed to be set up in the urban area, where women voters outnumber their male counterparts, said an official.